Ancestry Brewing Irish Red Ale

21 IBU 5.4% ABV
Beer Advocate score - 3.65/5
Untappd score 3.66/5

15A. Irish Red Ale

An easy-drinking pint, often with subtle flavors. Slightly malty in the balance sometimes with an initial soft toffee/caramel sweetness, a slightly grainy-biscuity palate, and a touch of roasted dryness in the finish. Some versions can emphasize the caramel and sweetness more, while others will favor the grainy palate and roasted dryness.

Aroma: A sweet malt aroma with a little bit of caramel character. The tiniest bit of an earthy undertone.   7.4

Appearance: A deep, Ruby red color with the slightest amount of haze. Creamy oatmeal head with average dissipation. Low-medium to medium lacing.  7.2

Flavor: Nice malty flavor upfront that gives way mildly sweet caramel. A little bit of roasty/grainy bitterness on the back end.   7.5

Mouthfeel: Smooth and medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation. Has a dry finish.   7

Overall: Ancestry does a solid job with this style. It is a fairly broad style and can have many different outcomes but this one tries to stay close to a traditional Irish Red while having an American flair (being just a tad more alcoholic). While the slightly sweet caramel character is not exactly traditional, it adds that extra something to make it more enjoyable. 7.3

Matt's mark: 3.64/5

It's not very often that I have a weekend to just putter around and relax. It was the perfect (well, almost perfect...the Ducks lost again) weekend to drink beer, watch football and break in a new purchase (bought City Skylines as an early birthday present to myself). On top of it all, my daughter came home for a visit (bless her heart) which meant the meal I had planned for Sunday was not going to be enough food. So the missus decided to let me off the hook for the night and do the cooking. This meant it was the perfect time to pull out the beer I selected for this weekend... a new brewery to me,  Ancestry Brewing out of Tualatin, Oregon. Ancestry brewing has beautiful branding. The

Finally took a picture of The Bier Stein

purchase was almost made entirely on the execution of the label, so simple and clean...but I was looking for an Irish Red as well which whittled my choices down as not many breweries actually have it on their respective beer lists. They should, but they don't. My marks for this beer, while not being out of this world, were solid and I would definitely try more of Ancestry's brews. It seems like my tastes are right on par with the general audience as well. Both Beer Advocate and Untappd were slightly higher than my marks. So, if you are in the market for a solid Irish Red, give Ancestry Brewing a try.